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A 0.1 % difference was all it took. Blue Team + Mitsuami lost to Team Ocho. Gasps filled the stands. While the Blue Team looked at the screen with shock and widened eyes, Ocho only giggled at the news.
“Well, I have to say, I’m surprised you made it this far.” Ocho continued giggling, clapping slowly as he walked the same towards the losing team. “But I knew this streak of yours wasn’t gonna last long.”
Mitsuami, Specs, and Headphones only glared at the octoling and Goggles, although his eyes were no longer wide, only stared in shock.
“Just because you won, it still doesn’t make what you're doing right.” Mitsuami fumed. To this, Ocho and his team gave a chuckle.
“You think you're in any position to talk?” Ocho sneered as he pulled from his back pocket the Black Labels and raised them above his head. Behind him his teammates laugh at the uneased looks that have fallen onto the Blue Team + Mitsuami’s faces.
“As I’ve said before, the weak shall be made si-“
A long deafening whistle from behind the Blue Team breaks the end of Ocho’s sentence and stops him dead in his tracks. Heads of every cephalopod in the stands and the stage turn to the source of the sound. An inkling wearing a glasses shaped wire on his face with lavender ink walked across the stage. He had a scowl on his face and it was directed at Ocho.
“That’s…” Mitsuami lingered.
“The last member of the Splatsville Hierarchy.” Specs continued with slight amazement.
“The one above Ocho.” Headphones added.
“Glassless!” Ocho exclaimed, physically taken aback seeing him.
“Huh, he almost looks li-” Goggles’ nonchalant comment was cut off as Glassless cut his way through the Blue Team to stand face to face with Ocho, separating him from Specs, Mitsuami, and Headphones.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” Ocho sputtered out, puffing out his chest to the inkling. Without breaking eye contact, Glassless snatched the Black Labels out of his hand. “He- OW !” Ocho yelled out. The octoling held two of his fingers as he shot daggers at the inkling.
“ I'm here to be the determining factor. ” Glassless’s answer was barely heard over the folding and ripping of the stickers. The crowds in the stands were growing loud. Another, shorter whistle was quick to bring them to silence. He turned to the three of four members of the Blue Team and extended out his hand.
“ Mitsuami, Specs, Headphones, ” Glasses then raised his free arm to point to the crowd. “ And Bobble Hat. One more battle, for what you think is right? ”
The Blue Team’s unease went back to surprise.
Mitsuami was as still as stone on the bench outside of the Lobby Tower. Her thoughts drowned out the Blue Team’s voices and Kojake’s attempts to get her attention. This fight against Glassless would be her first fight with all them but Goggles.
Would she be able to win without him? Would she be able to move? What if she remained frozen during the entire fight? What if this fight turns to a humiliating loss for them? What if something went wrong?
What if-
What if-
What if-
“Mitsuami?” A voice, not sure whose, dragged her out of her head. Mitsuami looked up to see the team looking back. “What’s wrong?” Headphones asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She let out a sigh before responding.
“A lot.” was all Mitsuami was able to squeak out. She could feel the nervous smile creep up her face. “Haven’t fought without Goggles before.” she stood up and started pacing around as she continued, Kojake following right behind her.
“Mitsuami’s right,” Specs chimed, turning to Goggles. “Every battle she’s been in, you were there. This fight might be hard for her if you’re not.”
“But I will be there.” Goggles said. “I’ll be sitting in the stands with Tri-Glass.” He walked to Mitsuami's side.
“Plus you’ll have Headphones, Specs, and Bobble by your side the whole time!” Goggles continued, gesturing to the aforementioned inklings. “You’ve got this Mitsuami! Keep stepping forward.” Goggles reassured her.
At that moment a ringtone was heard. Specs pulled his phone out as the others turned to him.
“It’s Glassless.” he said, raising his phone up for everyone to see. The screen read “We’ll meet at Brinewater Springs in 15 min.”
“Alrighty then, let’s go!” Bobble said, running off.
“EH?! Bobble!” Headphones shouted, going after her. “Where are you going?!” Specs followed, typing directions on his phone. And Mitsuami, before trailing behind, took off her backpack from under her cape.
“Goggles, can you put this in my locker?” she asked, handing him the backpack.
“Of course,” he said, grabbing it. “I’ll see you later! Good luck!” Goggles, with Kojake on his heel, ran up the stairs of the Lobby Tower. Mitsuami ran to catch up with the rest of the Blue Team, placing a fist over her chest as she did.
“Step forward, step forward.” echo and repeated in her head, louder than her worries.
51.7 %. It was a landslide win, but a win for the Blue Team nonetheless. Mitsumai let out a sigh of relief as Bobble attempted to lift her off the ground and spin her around.
“Mitsumai! You did it! You did it! You did it!” Bobble beamed, ditching her efforts and resorting to hugging her followed by Headphones and Specs.
Their victory celebration continued until they noticed Glassless was walking up to them, to which the group hug quickly unformed. The lavender inkling, with one hand, struck his Splatana Stamper to the ground.
“ Mitsuami, when I first formed the Splatsville Hierarchy, the idea of the Black Labels was to add suspense to battles. ” Glassless murmured his explanation. “ What I thought was a fun twist turned my friends, and admittedly me, power hungry. Thank you for making me realize that sooner than later. ” He raised his hand to Mitsuami. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly as she went to shake the offered hand.
That was quickly stopped with a flash though. Both teams were knocked to the ground. Team Glassless forward and Blue Team backward. As Mitsuami sat herself up, she stared shocked at the sight before her. All of Team Glassless’s weapons were covered with the Black Labels. She turned her head back to see the same thing.
Headphone gasped when she saw that her squiffer had a single label at the end of the nozzle. Specs’ jaw dropped seeing the bristles of brush were basically taped together with multiple. And although Bobble’s slosher looked unscathed, she held the bucket weapon upside down, trying to shake ink out of it.
A muffled laugh past the Blue Team caught the attention of all ink and octos. They all saw Ocho, crouched with one hand on the ground and the other held the backs of the Black Labels.
“Did you really think I was gonna let this slide?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. His eye, the only visible part of his face, glowed menacingly in the last bit of sun. “We made a deal!”
“ Yes you all did! ” Glassless hissed as he, and the rest of both teams, stood up. “ Of the four of us, they beat three. Was that not th- ”
“No!” Ocho shot, turning his head away. “The deal was if they lost at all we keep the Black Labels.” Ocho explained, slowly standing up, back still turned.
“ Well bet or not I’m disbanding the hierarchy. ” Glassless stated, approaching Ocho. “ Drop the Black Labels, It’s over. ”
“Do you think I’m gonna listen to a weakling like you?” Ocho snickered, crossing his arms and once again looking over his shoulder. The question shocked Glassless enough he stopped in his tracks, standing with the rest of the Blue Team. “Last time I did that, the Splatsville Hierarchy were made fools of.”
“And if any weakling or idiot tries to make a fool out of me,” Ocho turned around, finally facing the two teams. “I’ll make an example out of them” he growled, raising a hand to tweak a pair of pilot goggles atop his head.
Mitsuami could feel all three of her hearts drop as breathing became a difficult concept to grasp. The world stopped around her as she scanned the crowds in the stands, eyes frantically looking for the familiar face that promised to be there.
But Goggles wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Neither was Tri-Glass or Kojake. All she could hear was her rapidly beating hearts and sharp breaths. The worst case scenarios were echoing loud in her head.
Was Goggles okay?
Was he alive?
When would Ocho have the time to?
What was he thinking for this to be a good idea?
What about Tri-Glass?
What about Kojake?
What did Och-
“WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
Mitsuami looked back at the situation unfolding. Ocho was on the ground with his hands cupped over and around his nose. Headphones was holding Specs by both his arms and Glassless was using his Stamper to separate Specs and Ocho.
Mitsuami could see Glassless and Ocho speaking, but not a word of what they were saying. Headphones had managed to drag and push Specs away from the inkling and octoling. Mitsuami felt someone tugging her away from the commotion. Probably Bobble, but she didn’t look back. She couldn’t.
All she could see were the two members of the soon–to–be–former Splatsville Hierarchy. Blood was spilling out of Ocho’s nose as he stood up, yelling at Glassless. It didn’t seem real.
He was making a show just to scare them.
There’s no way Ocho actually did anything.
Goggles was probably waiting for them in the lobby with Tri-Glass and Kojake.
Right?
Right?
…
Right?